Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games, Inc.) is a Worldwide American video game company. It self-publishes and distributes multi-platform video games and interactive entertainment worldwide. History Disney Interactive In its early period, Disney Interactive often worked as a developer rather than a publisher (though it also marketed games on its own for select platforms), establishing development/publishing alliances with interactive-gaming industry leaders such as Sony Computer Entertainment, Nintendo, Activision, Capcom (the most allianced), Konami, Square-Enix, and Ubisoft. Disney Interactive dealt with mass-market, global development, publishing and distribution of interactive entertainment software based on its intellectual property (including Disney characters and other franchises). Buena Vista Games (2003-2007) To diversify its portfolio, the company re-established itself as Buena Vista Games and divided productions across two publishing labels -- Buena Vista Interactive developed titles across multiple platforms for creative content from the businesses within The Walt Disney Company, and Disney Interactive marketed and distributed children's entertainment and learning software. Buena Vista Games is probably best known for the Kingdom Hearts series along with Japanese developer Square Enix. Disney Interactive Studios (2007-2016) In 2007, the Walt Disney Company re-merged its productions under the name Disney Interactive Studios. The studio publishes both Disney and non-Disney branded video games for all platforms worldwide, with titles that feature its consumer brands including Disney, ABC, ESPN, Touchstone (which is used as a label for Disney Interactive), and Disney/Pixar. The studio has selectively licensed Disney intellectual property to other video game publishers such as Activision and THQ. In June 2008, Disney Interactive Studios was spun off of Disney Consumer Products and taken up under the new division Disney Interactive Media Group. Exit from video game publishing On May 10, 2016, following disappointing financial results for the year's second fiscal quarter, Disney announced that it would take a $147 million write-down to discontinue its self-publishing console games operations, ending Disney's involvement in the video game publishing industry after more than a decade. As a result of Disney's departure from video game publishing, Disney INFINITY was announced discontinued, and INFINITY developer Avalanche Software closed. Disney Interactive Studios will license its intellectual property to third party developers under the new structure, rather than oversee their own games. The Kingdom Hearts franchise and the Star Wars video games from Electronic Arts were not affected by the reorganization. List of Games The company also published games from Q Entertainment worldwide except Asia: Lumines II, the sequel to the puzzle game for the PSP system; Lumines Plus, a new version of Lumines for the PlayStation 2; Every Extend Extra, a puzzle shooter; and a Disney Interactive Studios's Meteos: Disney Edition, the popular Meteos game for the Nintendo DS with Disney characters. The company revealed a line-up of games at E3 2006, which include DIE's Turok, a re-imagining of the video game series of the same name and Desperate Housewives: The Game, based on the hit television show. Disney Interactive Studios is credited in all entries to the Kingdom Hearts franchise, with the original release boxart of each entry to the series having different logos and name of the company seeing as coincidently, the company is re-branded in between the releases. Notably, however, the company is not credited to actually developing the game. Games in Development *''Kingdom Hearts III'' (Playstation 4, Xbox One) Studios *Avalanche Software, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Acquired April 2005 *Gamestar, based in China. Acquired April 8, 2008 *Wideload Games, based in Chicago, Illinois. Acquired September 8, 2009 *Tapulous, based in Palo Alto, California. Acquired July 1, 2010 *Playdom, based in Mountain View, California. Acquired July 27, 2010 Former/Defunct *Propaganda Games, 2005-2011. *Black Rock Studio, acquired as Climax Racing in September 2006 and closed in July 2011 *Fall Line Studios - 2006-2009, merged into Avalanche *Junction Point Studios, based in Austin, Texas. Acquired July 13, 2007 and closed in January 19, 2013 Buyouts On July 13, 2007, it was announced that Disney Interactive Studios had acquired Warren Spector's Junction Point Studios. On April 8, 2008, Disney Interactive announced it was acquiring Gamestar, a Chinese game development company. Fall Line Studios was created as an offshoot from Avalanche Software but was later folded back into Avalanche. On September 8, 2009, Disney Interactive announced that it has acquired Wideload Games, the company behind the hit Stubbs the Zombie. Disney is also releasing Split Second, a game for PS3 and Xbox 360. On July 1, 2010, Disney Interactive announced it had acquired Tapulous, the studio behind the Tap Tap Revenge franchise for iOS. Propaganda Games was shut down by Disney on January 19, 2011. Black Rock Studios was shut down by Disney in July 2011. External Links *